DEFINING AND

DESIGNING
QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Chapter 15
Yuliardi Sulistio (18188203007)
P.BING/5A
 Qualitative Research
Generic terms for a wide array of research
approaches (ethnography, case study, narrative
research, etc.) that differ in purpose, approach,
methods, and values from more traditional
quantitative research
Comparison: Purpose/Goals
Qualitative Quantitative
O Contextualize O Generalize
findings findings
O Interpret behavior O Predict behavior
O Understand O Provide causal
perspectives explanations
O Discover O Confirm
 Comparison: Approach
Qualitative Quantitative
O Theory grounded in O Theory grounds the
findings study
O Natural context O Controls variables
O Inductive O Deductive
O Patterns and O Components and
complexity norms
O Relies on words O Relies on numbers
O Precise abstract
O Holistic language
language
 Comparison: Assumptions
Qualitative Quantitative
O Reality is socially O Reality is
constructed objective
O Unstable world O Stable world
O Complex variables are O Variables can be
difficult to measure identified and measured
O Symbolic interactionism O Logical empiricism roots
roots
 Comparison: Methods
Qualitative Quantitative
O Focus on nature/essence O Focus on quantity/how much
O Fieldwork, naturalistic O Empirical, statistical focus
focus O Precise, structured
O Flexible, emergent O Random, large samples
O Purposive, small samples O Inanimate instruments
O Researcher as primary
instrument
 Comparison:
Role of Researcher
Qualitative Quantitative
O Personally involved O Detached and
O Empathic impartial
understanding O Objective portrayal
O Inquiry is value O Inquiry is value free
bound
 Common Qualitative
Characteristics
O Concern for context and meaning
O Naturally occurring settings
O Human as instrument
O Descriptive data
O Emergent design
O Inductive analysis
QL Problems=Focus of Inquiry
O Not easy to quantify
O Understood within a setting
O Group activities over time
O Roles and behaviors
O Entire organizations
O Things about which little is known
O Closed cultures
 Suggestions for Choosing a
Problem
O Interesting to you
O Significant (contributes to knowledge or
solves problem)
O Reasonable time and complexity
O YOU are not directly involved
Types of Research Questions
O Particularizing – about specific context
O Generic – about a broad population
O Process – about how things work
O Variance – about difference or extent
O Instrumentalist – about observable data
O Realist – about unobservable phenomena
(feelings, beliefs)
 Criteria for Evaluating
QL Designs
O Informational adequacy – maximizes potential
understanding
O Efficiency – data collection is cost and time
efficient
O Ethical considerations – participants not at risk
 QL Sampling
O Is typically not random
O Goal to select a representative sample
O Use purposive samples sufficient to provide maximum
understanding
O Typically smaller than quantitative
O Primary criterion is redundancy of information – known as
data saturation
 QL Sampling Strategies
O Comprehensive
O Convenience
O Criterion
O Critical Case
O Deviant/Extreme
O Homogenous
O Intensity
O Maximum Variation
More QL Sampling Strategies
O Negative/Discrepant
O Opportunistic
O Random Purposeful
O Snowball/Chain
O Stratified Purposeful
O Theoretical
O Typical
 QL Common Data
Collection Techniques

Observations

Interviews

Documents or Artifacts
 Comparing QL and QT
Observation
Qualitative Quantitative
O More global O More structured
O Complete description O Numeric summary
O More extended time O Less extended time
O No a priori O A priori hypotheses
hypotheses O Checklists and
O Narrative and words observation protocols
 Observer Roles
O Complete/Covert Participant
O Participant as Observer
O Observer as Participant
O Complete Observer
O Collaborative Partner
Potential Impact of Observation
Also called Observer Effect

O Observer Expectation: Researcher expects certain behaviors

based on prior knowledge of participants
O Observer Bias: Observers attitudes and values influence
observations and interpretations
 Field Notes
Taken by researcher during observation

O Descriptive Component: describes the setting,

the people, interactions, events, etc.
O Observer Comments: observer reflections,
interpretations, feelings, speculations, etc.
 Interviews
O Unstructured interview – conversational with
questions arising from the situation
O Semi-structured or partially structured
interview – initial questions developed but
may be modified during interview
O Structured interview – predetermined
questions with each interviewee asked the
exact same questions
Guides for QL Interviewing
O Use open-ended questions (cannot be
answered with yes or no or simple responses)
O Avoid leading questions (suggests a particular
answer)
O Avoid double-barreled questions (two
questions in one)
O Avoid confusing questions
Phenomenology Interviews
O Three interview series recommended by
Siedman
O Interview 1: Context of the experience,
focused life history
O Interview 2: Reconstruct details of the
experience
O Interview 3: Reflect on meaning
 Interview Advantages &
Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
O Large volume of data O Unwillingness to
gathered quickly share
O Insight into O May provide false
perspectives information
O Unanticipated O Time to collect and
information revealed transcribe
O Immediate follow-up O Interviewing skills
and clarification necessary
 Focus Group Interviews
O Interview groups of people at same time
(typically 6-12)
O More cost and time efficient
O Socially oriented
O Less researcher control
O Not for emotionally charged topics
O Not when there are unbalanced power
dynamics
O Group dynamics have impact
 Interview Comparison
One-on-One
O No group dynamic
O Bias to moderator not peers
O More individual input
O Better top-of-mind &
emotional insights
O Easier to schedule
O Better for sensitive topics
Focus Group
O Group think
O More socially acceptable
answers
O Not equal expression
O Limited top-of-mind
insights
O Collective emotion
O Harder to schedule
O Good for brainstorming
Documents and Artifacts
O Wide array of written, visual, and physical
materials
O Four categories
O Public records
O Personal documents
O Physical materials
O Researcher-generated documents
 Sources
O Primary source – created by someone with
firsthand experience
O Secondary source – created by someone based
on secondhand information
 Ethical Considerations
O Kind of information– potential to acquire
sensitive information or information that may
present ethical dilemma
O Relationship to participant – possible
difficulty in maintaining distance and cannot
provide anonymity
O Reciprocation – what is given back to the
participants
O Permissions – may be more difficult
 Ethical Issues Related to
Indigenous Study
O Methods perceived as insensitive to culture
and reflecting non-indigenous values
O Understanding collective knowledge versus
individual knowledge
O Involvement of the community in designing
and conducting research
O Alternative world views
 Ethical Issues Related to
Technology Use
O Privacy and use of public sites or wi-fi
O Difficult to maintain anonymity
O Transient populations
O Inability to verify age or potentially vulnerable
populations
O Difficulty in obtaining informed consent
O Accessibility for those with disabilities
O Group site issues with confidentiality or
potential for cyber attacks
 CONCLUSION
Qualitative studies are a distinctive type of re-search in education and
the social sciences that can produce vivid and richly detailed accounts
of human experience.These studies are based on a fundamentally
different approach to the study of social reality from that which
underlies the standard quantitative approach to the study of education.
One chooses a qualitative design because it is the appropriate method
for investigating the problem. Qualitative inquiries demand a set of
skills that are not readily learned by examining textbook accounts of
methods. Becoming proficient in this approach to inquiry requires
fieldwork experience in negotiating access to a site, developing a
researcher role, establishing and maintaining trust with participants in
the study, conducting and recording interviews and observations,
managing data, and performing data analysis. Qualitative research
requires a great deal of time and effort.